Seahawks QB Wilson tries to follow guiding principles in life

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — This Russell Wilson story begins outside a bar, an odd place for a Wilson story because he doesn’t drink.

This takes place at the Kollege Klub in Madison, Wis., a campus dive bar, an institution for university students. And this is all according to Nate Tice, a friend of Wilson’s and a former Badgers quarterback.

Wisconsin, ranked 20th, had just throttled Purdue 62-17 behind Wilson’s ho-hum 205 yards passing, 76 on the ground and three total touchdowns. Many of the Badgers were out celebrating, and the bar was packed to capacity. A long line had formed outside.

Wilson was with his now-wife, Ashton Meem, and her parents at the end of the line. Because Tice knew the bar’s owner, Wilson texted his friend to see if he could work some magic and sneak him in.

An unassuming sort

“I was like, Russell, just go up to them and tell them who you are,” Tice said. “You’ll be good, trust me.”

But Wilson didn’t want to pull that card. So he waited.

“I go out there, and sure enough he’s at the back of the line with Ashton and her parents just hanging out,” Tice said. “And Russell of course was dressed to a T. In Madison, you don’t have to dress up. People wear sweatpants out. Russell’s got a scarf and caddy hat on.

“I grabbed him, and when he got in, it was like being with the Beatles.”

This wasn’t the first time Wilson made an appearance at the Kollege Klub. But this was midseason. He had passed for 2,238 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Those other visits, as Tice said, happened “before Russell Wilson was Russell Wilson.”

Media favorite

The media at Super Bowl XLVIII initially swarmed Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman because they didn’t know what he’d say. Then they migrated to running back Marshawn Lynch because they knew what he’d say.

Wilson was the happy medium. Seattle’s second-year starting quarterback was asked about the usual topics last week: his height, his transfer in college, his baseball career, his faith, his 1980s curls.

“Normally, I keep my hair pretty low,” Wilson said. “I actually saw an 11th-grade picture of my dad and I. When I was in 11th grade, we won the state championship. I had my hair grown out. I didn’t cut my hair the whole year for that season and my dad didn’t either, so it kind of inspired me for this year.”

Harrison Wilson III, Wilson’s father, died in 2010 because of complications from diabetes. He was a Dartmouth graduate, a lawyer, and a two-sport athlete in college. In 1980, he made it to the final cuts of San Diego Chargers camp as a wide receiver but was released.

The day after Harrison’s death, Wilson, a second baseman, was drafted by the Colorado Rockies. He was also the starting quarterback for North Carolina State, although coach Tom O’Brien reportedly was uneasy with Wilson’s double-dipping. He would move forward with Mike Glennon, a year younger and 8 inches taller.

For his senior year, Wilson transferred to Wisconsin. He was named a team captain within six weeks of his enrollment. Harrison Wilson never saw Russell play in a Badgers uniform.
“I learned from my dad that you always have to persevere, have a great purpose in your life and understand where you’re trying to go, have a great perspective,” Wilson said. “Those three things — those three ‘P’s’ — that he used to always tell me were so real, and they still stick with me today.”

‘Sense of leadership’

These past few weeks, Wilson’s purpose in life has been well-told. Brendan Prunty of the Newark Star-Ledger wrote about Wilson’s regular Tuesday visits to a Seattle Children’s Hospital. He showed up one day as a rookie and has been engaging with new patients every week since.

As for his purpose on the football field, Wilson said, “I believe that God has given me a sense of leadership to be able to motivate other people, but also myself. I want to be the best one day, and I’m not going to shy away from that.”

This past April, Wilson organized a team trip to Hermosa Beach, Calif., for workouts at “The Yard,” a famous training facility.

“He got us flights, he got us hotel rooms, he set up transportation from the practice facilities,” said Seattle receiver Doug Baldwin. “It was really well-executed, and it was very impressive for a rookie to be able to do that.”

On the Seahawks’ website, fullback Michael Robinson posted a video blog. Briefly during a passing workout in which the running backs didn’t participate, the subject of money and contracts arose.

“I know Sidney (Rice) has a lot of money, but I’ll tell you what,” Robinson said, pointing the camera at Wilson. “When it comes time for this man, he’s going to get it!”

Running back Robert Turbin chimed in: “Like 20 a year.”

Robinson yelled: “I’m going to be the guy that picks out your suits, boy!”

Wilson glanced at the camera, swatted the air, as if to say “OK, Mike,” and turned back to the huddle. Next play.

“Sometimes it’s hard for him to communicate with guys because he’s so in the zone,” Baldwin said. “It’s hard for him to step out of that. He’s so focused in the moment.”

It’s this blend of humility, ability and dedication to preparation that allowed Wilson to take hold of the starting job as a rookie. He’s won more games through his first two seasons than any quarterback in NFL history.

Not bad for a guy who could have played baseball.

Maximizes ability

Wilson is 5-11 and 205 pounds — prototypical for a second baseman, not an NFL quarterback.

Yet he extends plays with his legs like no one else, and his true perspective in the pocket isn’t necessarily of someone who is shorter than 6-0.

Tice, 6-5, explained: “If you notice, he kind of bounces on his toes, so that gives him another 2-3 inches.

Wilson remembers his father telling him, “Hey you have to watch this guy at Purdue” while he was in middle school.

It turns out the guy was Drew Brees, a pretty decent 6-foot quarterback. Wilson began studying Brees closely in college.

Like Brees, an absurdly productive career didn’t catapult Wilson to the NFL draft’s first round. Seattle scooped him in the third round.

And now for another story about Wilson at a bar.

Genuine modesty

In the summer of 2012, there was a soccer game — Chelsea FC versus the Seattle Sounders — at the Seahawks’ stadium.

Nate Tice went with his parents, Mike and Diane, and Wilson joined, too. They were at a stadium bar, where Mike Tice, the former Minnesota Vikings coach and longtime Seahawks tight end, was greeted by fans.

According to Nate, his dad would turn the fans to Wilson and say: “This is Russell. He’s going to be your starting quarterback.”

“They didn’t really know who he was. Again — this was before Russell Wilson became Russell Wilson.”

But the funny thing is, Russell Wilson has always been Russell Wilson.

Before his children’s hospital visits in Seattle, he did it in Wisconsin.

He was there for only six months, Tice said, but he was among the team leaders in community service hours.

When he was a senior in high school, he won the Richmond Times-Dispatch Player of the Year and passed the award to former teammate Toby Desch, who had recently lost his father in a plane crash.

And just last week, when he learned Tice’s grandmother, Jean Connolly, had died at age 83, he contacted Diane Tice.

“He sent her a really long text and said ‘I love you, I’ve been praying for you’ and those kind of things,” Tice said. “And you know, he didn’t have to do that. The guy is preparing for a Super Bowl.